As many as 270,000 GPS+GLONASS road navigation devices were sold in Russia last year, an almost three-fold increase from 2010, said Alexander Gurko, General Manager of NIS GLONASS, the Russian national provider of satellite navigation services, in an exchange with news agency RIA Novosti earlier this week. These figures could double in 2012, representing sales …
Interest in content delivery networks (CDNs) is growing amongst leading mobile operators in Russia. According to Russian publications AKTR and ComNews.ru, VimpelCom is currently looking for an equipment supplier for a CDN and expects to finalise a tender in the first half of this year. MTS is meanwhile using one operated by the company NGENIX but …
Russia’s mobile operators gear up for OTT services Read More
After years of strategic discussions, long bureaucratic processes, and unsuccessful attempts to launch 4G, 2012 promises to be the breakthough year for LTE deployment in key areas of Russian territory. While three players – Scartel, Rostelecom and Osnova Telecom – had received their own frequencies for LTE deployment by the end of 2011, additional frequencies …
2012 expected to be Russia’s breakthrough year for LTE Read More
Russia’s three leading mobile operators, Megafon, MTS and Vimpelcom, announced last week they will provide their subscribers with full common access to their respective mobile payment systems. Over the last two years, Russian mobile operators have developed and diversified their mobile payment systems far beyond traditional premium SMS. The ‘Easy Payment’ of MTS, ‘Mobile Payment’ and …
Russia’s “Big Three” mobile operators join forces to develop m-commerce Read More
NIS GLONASS, the Russian national provider of satellite navigation services, announced yesterday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Siemens to create an automated system to fine trucks which damage federal roads by exceeding a 12 ton weight limit.
The Russian Antimonopoly Service allowed Rostelecom, the national telecom operator, to acquire 100% of the shares of Enter, a provider of fixed broadband Internet access in Siberia owned by the Dutch company Consumer Enter B. V. Established in 2005, Enter serves 22,000 customers in Barnaul, Novokuznetsk and Tyumen, three major Siberian cities.
The Russian Anti Monopoly Service allowed MTS, a leading Russian operator, to acquire 100% of the shares of SkyNet, Russian business daily Vedomosti reported yesterday. The target of the acquisition provides Internet access as well as fixed line telephony services in St. Petersburg. MTS competes with other players such as mobile operator Megafon and telecom operator Rostelecom, …
MTS to acquire St. Petersburg Internet and telecom operator Read More
Skolkovo, the state-supported innovation hub under completion near Moscow, announced yesterday it has offered a grant of 1.35 million rubles, approximately $45,000, to its resident Intersoft Eurasia, a startup developing a dosimeter-radiometer that can be built into a smartphone or used as a separate, detachable unit (see video).
Russian billionaire Yuri Milner recently participated in a $1.4 million round of financing for Flotype, an American startup that offers realtime messaging technologies for cloud and mobile applications. Andreessen Horowitz, Ignition Partners, Salesforce and Y Combinator also took part in the deal, Techcrunch reported today.
Leading Russian WiMax provider Scartel operating under the Yota brand announced yesterday that its first LTE network was ready for commercial use in Novosibirsk, Siberia. A limited number of users will test the network until the official launch, which is planned for January 15. 63 base stations have been deployed in the city so far, …
Taxipedia, a German startup that has developed a mobile app for calling taxis and getting discounted fares, was awarded a Skolkovo Foundation grant last week, reported Tass-Telecom last week. The ceremony was held at the Singapore campus of INSEAD, a top ranking international business school with its main campus in Fontainebleau, France.
Last week, major Russian mobile phone retailer Svyaznoy announced the launch of an in-house TV network. ‘Svyaznoy TV’ offers news, reports, and reviews of the retailer’s products and services as well as entertainment, corporate information, and advertising from Svyaznoy’s partners. Svyaznoy TV is currently featured in more than 900 stores across Russia, with an expected …
